Life Is So BUSY!

 Teaching, coaching, UAPHERD board, playing soccer, and camp meeting have kept me super busy. Last weekend I didn't have any down time. Slowly these different responsibilities I have are winding up and I am getting pieces of my life back!

Last weekend was the UAPHERD conference. I was on the board for the past two years. It is not too bad except when it is conference time. Our main job is to plan the annual PE, health, dance, and recreation conference. It would not have been so crazy if I was not coaching at the same time. But it is over. It was successful. I am not on the board anymore:)

Track finishes on Wednesday. I am really excited about that. It has been good but I am tired. I just want to come home from work at 3:30. Most of our meets were cold this year.

That meant you dressed for a snowstorm because you are outside for 5-6 hours.This year winter seemed extra long which kind of makes track drag on because it is chilly and I don't want to be outside.

I have had a little Andrew time. Not lots but a little. I just love how cute this little guy is.

 I have had tons of Moki time. She keeps me super busy. We run, walk or hike every single day. One day she finally noticed the deer on the Y trail. I see them almost every time we hike the Y, which is 2-3 times a week, but Moki is not so good at noticing them. Of course then she wanted to chase them.

Taking Moki out is so fun because everyone loves her. She is so cute and has such a good temperament. She gets tons of attention. She does not seem to mind that.

At home she has mastered catching food in the air. It is a fun trick. We practice most days after school.

And she got shaved, so maybe she won't get so much attention now. Not the best look ever, or as Erica said she got tore up! I was a little frustrated because the groomer didn't listen to me. Like I specifically said do not shave her face. They always shave right between her eyes. UGLY! I have learned how to cut her face and I like how I do it better. Obviously they just ignored that.

  She looks really bad in this picture. It isn't quite so terrible. I had to do it though because as it has gotten hotter she is a panting machine. I felt bad because we do so much ans she is always so hot so I will probably keep it short through the summer.

Spring finally arrived this weekend in Utah. It has been so nice. All the trees are blossoming and you can wear shorts!

I enjoyed a very nice bike ride yesterday but it completely wiped me out for the day. I think it was the sun more than the biking. Crazy, but it felt so good.

SUMMER HERE I COME!

Spring Break Edition

 So surprising everyone was really fun. I just can't resist going to California to visit family. I always think, it's expensive, it takes a lot if time, but in the end I know I will never regret the time I choose to spend with my family.

 It is hard to be so cute! Oh wait, that tongue out during sacrament meeting isn't so cute.

Ben and Katie had the Easter bunny come during Olivia's nap time which was so great. We got up in the morning and got ready for church and didn't have to worry about all the Easter bunny hype.

Olivia is at the age where she gets so excited and so holidays are much more fun. I loved getting a chance to decorate Easter eggs with her. It was frustrating at some times but she loved watching the eggs change colors.

I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a few days in Fort Bragg with Ben and Katie. It was really nice, except that Katie was really sick. I just can't get enough of Olivia and Braxton. Olivia came to the beach with me every morning to search for sand dollars.  I am happy to report that we found four whole sand dollars!!! I walked her little feet off. Poor girl was exhausted from walking so much. She always wanted me to carry her but instead I gave her my modified you can do hard things speech. I am sure she was inspired!

 It was cloudy and rainy everyday I was in Fort Bragg. Kind of a bummer but I still loved being there.

Moki and I went on a really long run. Like over 6 miles run. We were given some misinformation. We were out in the dark which is never good but we did see a beautiful sunset.

 We walked in the door when we finished and Moki layed down for the rest of the night. She was exhausted. I on the other hand just could not move the next day.

Ben joined us for a beach afternoon.

 Braxton is just so adorable. His little face and cuteness melts my heart.

 One afternoon I took Olivia, Braxton, and Moki to the park. That was an adventure. I had Braxton on my stomach in the baby holder, Moki on the leash in one hand and Olivia in my other hand. Right as we walked into the park I realized I didn't bring one single thing for the kids. No diapers, snacks, change of clothes....nothing. Obviously I am not used to packing for children. Luckily we made it for a good three hours before heading home due to hunger.

One morning Olivia and I did the beach, the park and some hot chocolate all before 10am. This was the day I headed back to my parents. I hate saying goodbye to this girl.

A few more pictures from the three days I spent in Fort Bragg.

 It was nice to spend a little time at my parents as well. Moki loves their house because their yard has endless things she can explore. It was also raining in Oroville. LAME!!!! It was great to spend time with family and friends

Spring Break

 Spring break happened. It was glorious.

 I surprised my family. It worked.

I got to see some of my best friends.

And then it ended. I am exhausted. Work was rough. I won't lie I woke up with energy, ran the dog, felt great about life. Then on the way to work all energy was sapped out of my body. I have loads of pictures to post and stories to write. Just ain't happening today!

got out the big guy

 I finally got out my nice camera on a Sunday when Andrew was around. It has been way too long. Phones are so convenient but the pictures with a nice camera are so much better!

My favorite from the day.

 The rest are in no particular order. I just love all his cute expressions. Such a handsome little guy.

 

 

 And Moki is getting so big. Her fur measures at about 5 inches. She is just looking huge these days. She is still super fun. I am working on training her to walk well on the leash and come when she is called. Let's just say we still need some work on those two. She is very good at sitting, laying down, and jumping up, all on command. I have been taking her to track and she LOVES it. Loves the kids, love the weather, the atmosphere. It really is fun to watch her there.

 I am also doing a little crate training. Right now she only goes in for a treat.

I got the 24 hour flu Sunday night. It was awful. I have not had a night like that in a really long time. Looking back I was definitely coming down with something because I was so tired on Saturday and Sunday. I took three different naps Saturday. I felt ok but was just so exhausted. Sunday was the same. It took a lot of effort to do the little things. I went to bed feeling ok but at 1am the craziness began.

 I took the Monday off work to recover. Laid on the coach all day. Moki was fun to have around because she just laid right beside me most of the day. The only bad part was that she loves to have her butt in my face. So NASTY!!!!

I will say there were two really gross moments. 1. When I kind of missed the toilet and was then cleaning up throw-up. Don't mind me while I sit her puking might as well clean the outside of the toilet. l. Where do you throw up? Is there a better place? 2. I got out of bed Monday to go do sub plans and there was throw up all down my clothes, it was splattered but still so gross. Not by best moment. Let's just say I did some laundry as soon as I could stand without feeling queasy.
 
I did get the majority of my chores done over the weekend and I will say it was nice to be sick in a clean house. I even opened the blinds and put some flowers on the table to bring in the spring weather, on Saturday before I was sick.

  It must have worked because the weather was amazing today. Track has started and it is just so much more enjoyable when the weather is nice!

WOW

 It's been so long since I have posted. I knew it had been a while but 22 days is a long time for me not to post. I have thought about blogging a few times but life has been busy.

So I will attempt to highlight the month of February in one post:)

Andrew visiting is always a highlight. His temperament has really mellowed out and he is such a sweetie. Loves to give smiles. Will giggle for his parents. Is content when others hold him. So fun!

My door was heart attacked.....but it was for Dan and Caleb. I wanted to Facebook about it but they seemed a little embarrassed so for once I resisted the urge to get some laughs.

 My birthday happened at some point. It was a LAME day. I just had work and coaching. I was gone from 6:45 am to 8:15pm. Then I had a basketball game to play in at 9:15. I was going to cancel but at that point the day had been so uneventful I just decided to play. It was fine and I am not a huge birthday person but I would have liked to have taken the day off. At least my basketball team won so I was in good spirits.

Valentines day was really exciting.....NOT! I just thought it would be fun to throw that in. The most exciting thing on Valentines day for me was that basketball had ended the day before and so I was commitment free. Oh wait that is the day we left for California. I took two personal days and headed home to see the family. Sam and Amanda joined me for the drive so it was a party. Ben and Katie agreed to meet us in Oroville so I was pumped. I loved seeing all my favorite people.

 We left Thursday after work and drove straight through. Sam was a champion driver and Andrew did really well also.

Andrew and Braxton smiling. I have a very similar picture at Thanksgiving of them both screaming their heads off. They are both adorable.

 The weather in California made the trip worth it. It was 70 degrees and sunny everyday we were there. It was so nice to be outside and enjoy the sunshine. I was in heaven.

 Who knew a $1 kite would be such a hit? There were three of them and they provided a lot of entertainment.

 My parents house is small and we overloaded the place and so we spent a lot of time at the park. No one complained since the weather was AMAZING!

 Little boys love the bath I love their smiling faces. Braxton's parents and sister call him Bubba, it is so cute.

 Moki loved being able to run around. She loved having people with her all day as well. She really is a good dog. Super friendly, easy going. Olivia loved her, which made me happy. They played pretty well together. Moki started to learn to swim this trip as well. I took her in the river twice. She has not mastered it but she made lots of progress. It was so fun to watch her. She was sooooo dirty when we got back to Utah. I bathed her at 11pm when we got home. The bath water was black. So black you could not see through it. It was nasty but totally worth it.

Monday February 18th was Katie's birthday. We went to breakfast before the Utah people headed home. It was fun to just visit and chill at the restaurant. My grandma and Aunt Virginia made the trip to Oroville to visit as well. It was so fun to see them and I am grateful they were willing to travel to see us.

 We had so many people sleeping at my parents. It was crazy. 14 total sleeping there and then 5 others that came to dinner on Sunday and visited on other days. Remember my parents house is small but seriously I would not have traded spending time with my family. Love those people. My cousin Katie, Aunt Loralie, and two of Katie's nieces came for the weekend as well. They were a super fun addition. Olivia especially loved the teenage gals she kept asking for her girls.

We played so hard everyday I was exhausted. I fell asleep early every night while people were playing games. Moki fell asleep by 7 every night and was out. Vacation is a great time to catch up on sleep.

I think one of my favorite days was Tuesday when I got home. I took the day off of work and just read and did laundry. It was so nice to relax and rest. It really helped rejuvenate me. I have been so worn out from basketball.

Wednesday morning I flew to Arizona for a two day conference with 8 other teachers. We had to meet at the school at 4am. I was so tired the first day. One teacher was like it is awkward when the fat guy can stay awake and you can't. After that comment I purchased some caffeine so I could make it through the day. Overall it was a good conference but I was ready to be home. I prefer teaching to sitting all day.

Today Amber, Moki, and I headed up the canyon for some trail running. We didn't bring our snowshoes because last time the snow was so packed down from all the snowmobile-rs. We decided to give running with cleats a try. Well we chose the wrong day. It was snowing like crazy on the Alpine Loop today. It would have been perfect for snowshoes. We ran and had a great time but it was just funny. I was under dressed and not prepared for all the snow but it was still enjoyable.

 My dog loves the snow. She also loves not being on the leash. She does awesome when we hike and snowshoe. I love wearing her out. It was beautiful up there.

 In Moki news: Moki got her first spa treatment. She didn't like the blow dryer or getting her face shaved. What girl likes to have to get her face shaved? And she came home with bows. I am not lying when I say I did not recognize her. She was one giant poof ball and I seriously thought they gave me the wrong dog. I had to call her name to make sure. She looks so innocent and cute.

 Don't let that face fool you. One day I came home from work and she had gotten out of her room and this was what was waiting in the kitchen.

 So annoying but I could not really get mad. The poor dog is home for 9 hours by herself. It is still obnoxious though.

 Moki was spayed. I read about dogs in heat and realized there is no way I was going to go through that. Too messy for me. She did great. She was slow for a few days but bounced back super fast.

We ran our first 5k one night without walking. Her stamina is getting so much better.

We have hiked the Y twice. Moki loves it so I think that will be a favorite this spring and summer.

And the compliment of the night was a lady at the temple asked me if I was a BYU student. I told her I was not. I explained I was a teacher. She then said I looked so young. WOW, that was nice. I have been feeling so old. Tired, wrinkles, achy joints and muscles. It just made me smile. What a nice lady!